By ROGERS KALERO
GOVERNMENT must ensure that the country’s food security is not compromised following its decision to open up the borders and allow the Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) to start selling maize to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a Kitwe Business Executive has warned .
Augustine Mubanga said the DRC market was an ‘open gullet’ for maize and other foodstuffs and offers a lucrative market which could be irresistible to most millers and those selling the commodity in the neighbouring country.
Mr Mubanga, who is a former Association of Mine Suppliers and Contractors (AMSC) President, said in an interview in Kitwe at the weekend, that DRC being an ‘open gullet’ and offering an irresistible and lucrative market could easily make some millers to sell all their maize leaving nothing for local consumption.
He said whilst the DRC was offering a lucrative market, it was important that government looked at ways of ensuring food security in the country or else the whole thing may end up to be regrettable.
“Yes, our food security may be compromised because the DRC is an ‘open gullet’ and was offering an irresistible and lucrative market which could easily make some millers to sell all their maize leaving nothing for local consumption,’’ Mr Mubanga said.
Mr Mubanga also said there was need to do an audit or an assessment to see how much government and Zambians were benefiting in terms of exports to DRC and what was its economic contributions in the level of employment and how many people have been employed as a result of exports to DRC.
He also said government must institute other measures to familiarise the business transactions on the export of maize to the DRC to others, not only to members of MAZ.
He said government should not only restrict the export of maize to DRC to members of MAZ only, but should also extend it to cooperatives, small scale farmers and peasant farmers especially those who depend on Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).
“In short, the conditions of maize export to the DRC should be made public so that more people like cooperatives, small scale farmers and peasant farmers especially those who depend on Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) can also sell their maize to the DRC,’’ he said.
